Comics and Comix
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Comics Pop Culture Collectables |
| Genre | Retail, Publishing |
| Founded | Berkeley, California, U.S., 1972 |
| Founder | Bud Plant, Robert Beerbohm, John Barrett |
| Fate | defunct (2004) |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 7[1] |
Area served | San Francisco Bay Area |
Key people | Dick Swan, Jim Buser, Scott Maple[1] |
| Products | Comics |
Comics and Comix Co. was a comic book retailer based in Berkeley, California, that for a short time also had a publishing division. The company was founded by Bud Plant, Robert Beerbohm, and John Barrett. Comics and Comix operated from 1972 to 2004.
History
In late August 1972, while still an undergraduate at San Jose State University,[2] Bud Plant co-founded Comics & Comix with John Barrett (1951–2001)[3] and Plant's housemate Robert Beerbohm.[4] The store's first location was on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California.
In 1973 Comics & Comix helped organize the first Bay Area comics convention, Berkeleycon 73, in the Pauley Ballroom in the ASUC Building on the University of California, Berkeley campus. At that show, Comics & Comix acquired over 4,000 Golden Age comic books owned by Tom Reilly.[4] The phenomenal sales of the Reilly collection enabled Comics & Comix to open more retail locations, first in San Francisco (May 1973), on Columbus Avenue (down from the North Beach area on the way to Fisherman's Wharf), and later in San Jose and Sacramento, making it the first comic book chain store in America.[1]
In 1974, Comics & Comix organized Berkeleycon 74, also held at Berkeley's Pauley Ballroom. A 48-page comic called Tales from the Berkeley Con, co-published by Rip Off Press & Last Gasp, was produced to promote the convention.[5]
Founding partner Beerbohm left the company in 1975, soon opening his own store, Best of Two Worlds, in San Francisco.
As part of his distribution business, Plant supplied Comics & Comix with product while also handling distribution for much of the West Coast.[1]
In 1987, Barrett founded the Wonderful World of Comics Convention (later known as WonderCon), which was first held at the Oakland Convention Center.[6]
In 1988, Plant sold Comics & Comix[7] to the company's comptroller;[1] it continued as a retailer until 2004.[8]
Publishing
Comics & Comix operated as a comics publisher from 1974–1978. The company ventured into publishing with Jack Katz's underground/sword and sorcery hybrid The First Kingdom. The company published 6 issues of that title until 1977, which was continued under various publishing names by Plant until 1986.
Comics & Comix also published three issues of Jim Pinkoski's Spaced in 1974–1976; two issues of Dan O'Neill's Comics and Stories in 1975; and two issues of Alfredo Alcala's Magic Carpet in 1977–1978.[9]
From 1980 to 1985, Comics & Comix also published the industry trade journal Telegraph Wire (named after the street of their flagship location).
Titles published
- The First Kingdom (6 issues, 1974–1977) — by Jack Katz; later issues published solely by Bud Plant
- Spaced (3 issues, 1974–1976) — by Jim Pinkoski
- Dan O'Neill's Comics and Stories vol. 2 (2 issues, 1975) — by Dan O'Neill; picked up from Company & Sons
- Magic Carpet (2 issues, 1977–1978) — by Alfredo Alcala
- Telegraph Wire (24 issues, 1980–Dec./Jan. 1985) — trade journal
References
- ^ a b c d e "THE TOUCAN INTERVIEW: Bud Plant: Comics Retailing Pioneer," Toucan: The Official Comic-Con & Wondercon Blog (June 28, 2013).
- ^ Beerbohm, Robert. "Comics Dealer Extraordinaire Robert Beerbohm: In His Own Words", Comic-Convention Memories (Jan. 6, 2010).
- ^ Nolan, Michelle. "Newswatch: Pioneering Comics Retailer John Barrett Dies at 50", The Comics Journal #233 (May 2001), p. 18: Barrett died March 14, 2001.
- ^ a b Beerbohm, Bob. "Please Consider Buying Some Comics From Industry Icon Robert Beerbohm", The Comics Reporter (March 14, 2008).
- ^ Fox, M. Steven. "Tales from the Berkeley Con," ComixJoint. Accessed Dec. 8, 2016.
- ^ "WonderCon 1987 on KTVU-2 - YouTube". YouTube. 2011-03-20. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
- ^ "Newswatch: "Comics & Comix Sold", The Comics Journal #125 (October 1988), pp. 23–24.
- ^ Comics and Comix entry, Grand Comics Database. Accessed Dec. 9, 2016.
- ^ Comics & Comix entry, Grand Comics Database. Accessed Oct. 8, 2016.
External links
- Comics and Comix at the Grand Comics Database
- Comics & Comix at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)